Norwegian record European pilchard: 128 g

About European pilchard

The European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus), whose young are sold as sardines, is a herring-like fish with larger scales, a green to olive back, golden flanks and a silvery belly. Fine ridges radiating across the gill cover are a good identification mark. It is usually 15–25 cm and rarely more than about 27 cm. Pilchards form big schools in open water, generally at 10–100 m, feeding on zooplankton, especially small crustaceans. Females spawn in several batches through the season, releasing tens of thousands of eggs. The species ranges from the Mediterranean and West Africa north to the British Isles and southern Scandinavia, and it supports major fisheries in Portugal and Spain. In Norway it is only an occasional visitor: Institute of Marine Research surveys have caught between none and just over a hundred a year since 1998. It is too scarce to target here, and the Norwegian Red List 2021 classes it as Not Applicable (NA).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Juni

See the species guide

Biggest European pilchard in FishComp

Caught a European pilchard? Log it in FishComp.

How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.